Particulate feeder systems are used for distributing and metering a wide variety of particulate material, including seed, fertilizer, herbicide and insecticide to the surface of or beneath the ground being worked. Particulate feeder systems typically include a plurality of metering devices which meter particulate material from a plurality of hoppers or bins to one or more particulate material flow tubes. The metering device typically comprises a rotating metering member, such as a flute, which carries particulate material from an outlet of the bin to the inlet of the flow tube. The flow tube carries the particulate material, usually under the force of blown air, to the surface of or beneath the ground being worked. To ensure that particulate material is being metered and distributed to the ground being worked, conventional particulate feeder systems include a flow monitoring system, which includes a sensor mounted within the flow tube to sense the flow of particulate material therethrough. This sensed information is then displayed to the operator.
During the distribution of particulate material to the ground being worked, the particulate material within either one of the bins will often bridge due to a loss of tank pressure or after being exposed to moisture. As a result, the flow of particulate material from the particular bin ceases. However, conventional flow monitoring systems frequently fail to notify the operator of this cessation of flow of particulate material from the bin due to bridging since particulate material from the other bin may be continuing to flow. Moreover, even if such conventional flow monitoring systems do notify the operator of the decrease in material flow through the flow tube, such systems fail to alert the operator as to the cause of the decline in material flow through the flow tube. For example, even if alerted to the decrease in flow through the flow tube, the operator cannot determine whether there is a blockage in the flow tube itself or whether there is a blockage in either one of the metering devices or bins.
Thus, there has been a continuing need for a flow monitoring system which not only alerts the operator of a decrease in flow through the flow tubes but also informs the operator as to the exact cause of the material flow blockage. In addition, there has also been a continuing need for a flow monitoring system that simultaneously indicates to the user the amount or level of particulate material within the bin as well as whether the material within the bin is bridging via a single, visual display signal.